A woman was rescued after going overboard from a ferry near the Tsawwassen terminal Friday morning.
The incident occurred as the Spirit of Vancouver Island, travelling from Victoria, was approaching the terminal. The ferry was stopped to launch a rescue boa, which quickly retrieved the woman from the water, said B.C. Ferries spokesperson Deborah Marshall.
"We do have to extend kudos to the crews. They train for lots of different scenarios and this is one of them, and they executed the rescue perfectly today," Marshall said.
The woman was taken back aboard the ship and emergency services took over once it docked, Marshall said.
She was taken aboard an ambulance before being transferred to an air ambulance.
Delta police S/Sgt. Scott Lebus said the approximately 50-year-old woman was airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital and is in stable condition.
Police are investigating the incident, he said.
Paul Tasker, a maritime search and rescue coordinator with Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre Victoria, noted a hovercraft, a motor lifeboat and a volunteer rescue boat were tasked to respond but never made it on scene "because she was out of the water before that."
B.C. Ferries posted on Twitter that the 11 a.m. Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen and 1 p.m. Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay sailings had been cancelled due to the emergency.
